The Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca
Amazónica - COICA )
was founded in 1984 in Lima. "The
objectives of the COICA organization are to promote and develop mechanisms that
encourage the interaction of Indigenous peoples with the member organizations of
COICA, to defend the self-determination of Indigenous peoples, to respect the
human rights of its members, to coordinate the actions of its members on an
international level, to fortify and cultivate mutual collaboration between all
Indigenous peoples of the region, and to promote the cultural vindication of its
members. Some of the initiatives that COICA has been able to accomplish include
allowing indigenous peoples to be educated in their native languages and the
foundation of an Amazon Indigenous University. Accomplishments such as these
have encouraged the revitalization of traditional cultures. In 1993, COICA’s
headquarters was permanently relocated to Quito."Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coordinator_of_Indigenous_Organizations_of_the_Amazon_River_Basin